LONDON – The redesigned UK passport, now featuring strengthened security features and iconic images from across the nation, was unveiled yesterday.
The new 10-year passport will be issued from October, with pages containing well-known scenes including the White Cliffs of Dover, the Gower Peninsula in Wales, Ben Nevis and the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.
The use of these images, recreated through special printing techniques, is just one of a number of enhanced security features contained in the passport, which will give UK citizens added protection from identity theft and fraud and ensure speedier travel across borders. The new passports will replace an ePassport which was brought in four years ago to comply with the US visa waiver programme.
“The new design is part of our strategy to stay ahead of criminals who look to fraudulently alter or copy passports,” said Sarah Rapson, chief executive of the Identity and Passport Service.
The holder’s personal details will now appear on the second page, which the government said would speed travellers’ passage through border controls.
Other new security measures include moving the chip that stores the holder’s details to the inside of the passport cover so it is no longer visible and adding a transparent covering which includes several holograms.
The new passport images will also stretch across two pages instead of one.
“Through its combination of physical and electronic security features, the UK passport remains one of the most secure and trusted documents in the world,” Ms Rapson said. – (Reuters)